The company was initially named
Rudge-Whitworth Milano, as the splined
centerlock hub mechanism was licensed from the
Coventry-based Rudge-Whitworth, which had developed the patents since 1908. It was run by Carlo Borrani at Via Ugo Bassi 9, and quickly became supplier for
Alfa Romeo,
Bianchi,
Lancia and other racing cars, used by such drivers as
Enzo Ferrari when winning the first
Coppa Acerbo in
Pescara (1924). Borrani wheels used
aluminum alloy rims instead of
steel, improving
unsprung mass and thus overall performance compared to the original
Rudge-Whitworth design. Leadership transferred to the founder's son, Cesare Borrani, in 1937. The company name was changed to
Ruote Borrani S.p.A. in the 1930s, due to
Benito Mussolini's campaign to remove English
loanwords from the Italian language. Between 1946 and 1966, all Ferrari cars were equipped with Borrani wheels as original equipment. The two businesses thus share an important part of Italian automotive history, both on the road and on the race tracks. Afterwards, Borrani wheels remained a major option for Ferrari owners until as late as 1984. Borrani wheels also were original equipment on famous makes like
Lamborghini,
Alfa Romeo,
Maserati,
Facel Vega and
Aston Martin. In 1955, the company relocated to
Baranzate in north-west Milan and merged with
Costruzioni Meccaniche Rho S.p.A. In 2004, the Borrani wire wheel production was sold to RuoteMilano srl., member of the international automotive Zeta Europe BV group. The activities were moved to Rozzano on the southern edge of Milan. At these new facilities, the traditional production machines were rebuilt and refurbished to meet modern requirements, and to safeguard the quality and production capacity for Borrani wire wheels. Since then, the total product range has become readily available again and a number of models have been re-entered in production. ==References==